H  E 
8670 

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1913a 

DOCUMENTS 
DEPT. 


UC-NRLF 


B    3    M2D    M22 


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DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCE  AND  LABOR 
I    (J,S,        BUREAU  OF  NAVIGATION 


REGULATIONS 


GOVERNING    .     .     . 


RADIO  COMMUNICATION 


^ 


EDITION  FEBRUARY  20,  1913 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1913 


DEPARTMENT  OF  COMMERCE  AND   LABOR 
Li  5     BUREAU    OF   NAVIGATION 


REGULATIONS 


GOVERNING 


RADIO  COMMUNICATION 


^ 


EDITION  FEBRUARY  20,  1913 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1913 


vnnscmam 

OEPT. 


REGULATIONS  GOVERNING  RADIO"  COfflMUNICATION. 


Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor, 

Office  of  the  Secretary, 

Washington^  February  20,  1013. 
To   owners  and   operators   of   apparatus  for  radio   communication 
{wireless  telegraphy) : 

The  attention  of  all  owners  and  operators  of  apparatus  for  radio 
communication  is  invited  to  the  act  of  August  13,  1912,  to  regulate 
radio  communication  and  to  the  following  regulations  to  carry  out 
that  act  and  the  International  Radiotelegraphic  Convention,  pro- 
claimed by  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

Department  Circular  No.  241  includes  the  laws  applying  to  radio 
equipment  on  ships,  and  its  provisions  should  be  knownto  all  owners 
and  operators  of  ship  radio  sets.  Owners  and  operators  may  obtain 
copies  of  the  act  and  of  the  international  convention  in  force  and 
department  Circular  No.  211  from  the  Commissioner  of  Navigation, 
Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C.,  or  from 
the  radio  inspectors  for  the  districts  named  below. 

The  act  to  regulate  radio  communication  took  effect  December  13, 
1912.  It  requires  the  owners  and  operators  of  apparatus  for  radio 
communication  under  certain  conditions  to  obtain  licenses. 

The  regulations  established  by  the  act,  or  by  the  authority  of  the 
act,  or  of  the  international  convention,  will  be  enforced  by  the  Sec- 
retary of  Commerce  and  Labor  through  radio  inspectors,  collectors 
of  customs,  and  other  officers  of  the  Government. 

Violations  of  the  act  and  regulations  will  be  reported  to  the  chief 
customs  officer  of  the  district  in  which  the  offense  occurs,  who  will 
report  the  case  to  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  (Bureau  of 
Navigation)  according  to  the  procedure  followed  in  violations  of  the 
navigation  laws. 

ADMINISTRATTS^  DISTRICTS. 

The  department  has  established,  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing 
through  radio  inspectors  the  acts  relating  to  radio  communication 
and  the  international  convention,  the  following  districts  with  the 
principal  office  for  each  district  at  the  customhouse  of  the  port  named. 
(These  districts  supersede  those  announced  in  department  Circular 
No.  241,  of  September  5,  1912.) 

1.  Boston,  Mass Maine,    New   Hampshire,    Vermont,    Masaachiisetts, 

Rhode  Island,  Connecticut. 

2.  New  Toek,  N.  T New   York    (county   of  New   York,    Staten   Island, 

Long  Island,  and  counties  on  the  Hudson  River 
to  and  including  Albany,  Rensselaer,  and  Schenec- 
tady), and  New  Jersey  (counties  of  Bergen,  Pas- 
saic, Essex,  Union,  Middlesex,  Monmouth,  Hud- 
son, and  Ocean). 

rro35»— IS 

M72796 


4  EEGULATIONS   GOVERNING   RADIO   COMMUNICATION. 

3.  BAtyiMOEE,  Md ,-_,New  Jersey  (all  counties  not  included  in  second  dis- 

•:  {  ■'  ';.'.'  '    ;  :    •     trict),    Pennsylvania     (counties    of    Philadelphia, 

•  '•'         .  'c'    ;  Delaware,  all  counties  south  of  the  Blue  Moun- 

.'.  '.'.'''",',-"■  tains,    and    Franklin    County),    Delaware,    Mary- 

.'•'*..'  .'•''  '•'•'*   '  '''      '•   •'  '      li^nd,  Virginia,  District  of  Columbia. 

4.  Savannah,' X>A_'_'_illl-_'.N()rth  Carolina,    South   Carolina,   Georgia,   Florida, 

Porto  Rico. 

5.  New  Orleans,  La Alabama.  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Texas.  Tennessee, 

Arkansas,  Oklahoma,  New  Mexico. 

6.  San  Francisco,  Cal California,  Hawaii,  Nevada,  Utah,  Arizona. 

7.  Seattle,  Wash Oregon,  Washington,  Alaska,  Idaho,  Montana,  Wyo- 

ming. 

8.  Cleveland,  Ohio New  York  (all  counties  not  included  in  second  dis- 

trict), Pennsylvania  (all  counties  not  included  in 
third  district),  West  Virginia,  Ohio,  Michigan 
(Lower  Peninsula). 

9.  Chicago.  Ill Indiana,  Illinois.  Wisconsin.  Michigan  (Upper  Penin- 

sula), Minnesota.  Kentucky,  Missouri,  Kansas, 
Colorado,  Iowa,  Nebraska,  South  Dakota,  North 
Dakota. 

A  radio  inspector  is  authorized  in  exceptional  cases  to  act  outside 
of  his  district  for  the  convenience  of  commerce.  In  such  cases  he 
will  communicate  before  or  after  acting  with  the  inspector  in  whose 
district  he  has  acted.  Radio  inspectors  are  authorized  to  communi- 
cate directly  with  collectors  of  customs  and  to  cooperate  with  them 
in  the  enforcement  of  the  law. 

EXAMINATION    OF   OPERATORS    FOR    LICENSES. 

The  examination  of  operators  for  licenses  prescribed  in  the  follow- 
ing regulations  will  be  held  at  the  United  States  navy  yards  at  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Washington,  D.  C, 
Norfolk,  Va.,  Charleston.  S.  C,  New  Orleans,  La.,  Mare  Island  (San 
Francisco) ,  Cal.,  Puget  Sound,  Wash. ;  at  the  naval  stations  at  Key 
West,  Fla.,  San  Juan,  P.  R.,  and  Honolulu,  Hawaii;  at  the  Naval 
Academy,  Annapolis,  Md. ;  at  Fort  Sam  Houston,  San  Antonio,  Tex., 
Fort  Wood,  New  York  Harbor,  Fort  Omaha,  Nebr.,  Fort  Leaven- 
worth, Kans.;  at  the  School  for  Enlisted  Specialists,  Fort  Monroe, 
Va.;  at  the  Army  stations  at  St.  Michael  and  Fairbanks,  and  by 
special  arrangements  at  the  Army  stations  at  Fort  Gibbon  and 
Valdez,  Alaska ;  also  at  the  Bureau  of  Standards,  Washington,  D.  C. ; 
and  by  the  department's  radio  inspectors  at  the  customhouses  in 
their  districts  and  elsewhere  by  arrangement  with  them.  Appli- 
cants for  licenses  should  communicate  in  writing  [Form  756]  with  the 
commandants  or  commanding  officers  of  the  nav\^  yards  or  Army 
posts  or  Naval  or  Army  stations  named,  or  with  the  Director  of  the 
Bureau  of  Standards,  or  with  the  radio  inspectors  at  the  custom- 
houses, at  their  headquarters,  to  ascertain  the  day  and  hour  when  they 
can  be  examined.  Additional  opportunities  for  examination  can  be 
ascertained  by  communicating  with  the  department's  radio  inspectors 
at  the  customhouses  or  with  the  Commissioner  of  Navigation,  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C.  The  licenses  to 
operators  will  be  delivered  at  the  places  of  examination. 

The  license  provides  that  the  holder  shall  take  the  oath  for  the 
preservation  of  the  secrecy  of  messages  before  a  notai-y  public  or 
officer  authorized  to  administer  oaths.  The  operator's  license  is  not 
valid  until  this  oath  is  executed. 


REGULATIONS   GOVERNING   RADIO   COMMUNICATION.  5 

REGULATIONS. 

Part  1.  LICENSES— APPARATUS. 

A.  Apparatus  Exempt  from  License. 

The  act  does  not  appl}^  either  afloat  or  ashore  to — 

(a)  Apparatus  for  radio  communication  which  merely  receives 
radiograms  and  is  not  equipped  for  sending. 

(b)  Apparatus  for  the  transmission  of  radiograms  exclusively  be- 
tween points  in  the  same  State,  if  the  effect  of  such  transmission  does 
not  extend  beyond  the  State  (so  as  to  interfere  with  the  radio  com- 
munication of  other  States),  or  if  the  effect  of  such  transmission  does 
not  interfere  with  the  reception  of  radiograms  from  beyond  the  State 
(so  as  to  interfere  with  the  interstate  radio  communication  of  that 
State). 

(c)  Apparatus  for  radio  communication  which  has  been  issued  to 
the  Organized  Militia  by  the  United  States  Army  and  is  used  for 
military  purposes  only. 

The  owner  or  operator  of  any  apparatus  who  may  be  in  doubt 
whether  his  apparatus,  under  this  paragraph,  is  exempt  from  license 
may  write  the  facts  to  the  radio  inspector  for  his  district  or  to  the 
Commissioner  of  Navigation,  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  before  applying  for  a  license. 

B.  Ship  Stations. 

The  apparatus  for  transmission  of  radiograms,  or  signals  on  any 
vessel  of  the  United  States  not  permanently  moored,  requires  a  license. 

For  the  purposes  of  the  administration  of  the  act,  ship  stations  on 
vessels  of  the  tinted  States  shall  be  of  these  classes : 

Class  A. —  (a)   Ocean  passenger  steamers  which  from  October  1, 

1912,  and  (h)  Great  Lakes  passenger  steamers  which  from  April  1, 

1913,  are  subject  to  the  act  of  July  23.  1912.  and  are  required  to  carry 
two  oi^erators  and  maintain  a  constant  skilled  watch. 

Class  B. — Cargo  steamers  which  (on  the  Great  Lakes  from  April  1, 
1913,  and  on  the  ocean  from  July  1,  1913),  with  crcAvs  of  50  or  more, 
are  required  to  carry  two  operators,  the  second  of  whom  may  be  a 
member  of  the  crew  certified  as  competent  to  receive  distress  calls, 
etc.,  maintaining  a  transmitting  ser\^ce  during  limited  hours  but  a 
constant  receiving  watch. 

Class  C. — Vessels  voluntarily  equipped  with  radio  apparatus  and 
not  subject  to  the  act  of  July  23,  1912.  after  October  1,  1912;  April  1. 
1913;  or  July  1.  1913.  with  no  fixed  hours  of  service,  such  as — 

1.  Passenger  steamers,  where  the  licensed  capacity  and  number  of 
crew^  combined  are  less  than  50. 

2.  Cargo  steamers  with  crews  of  less  than  50. 

3.  Tugs  and  towing  steamers,  etc.,  with  crews  of  less  than  50. 

4.  Motor  vessels. 

5.  Sailing  vessels  and  barges. 

6.  Yachts. 


6  EEGULATIONS   GOVERNING   EADIO   COMMUNICATION. 

C.  Land  Stations. 

Apparatus  for  radio  communication  on  land  within  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  United  States  (excluding  the  Philippine  Islands  and 
excluding  apparatus  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States)  must 
be  licensed  if — 

(a)  The  apparatus  is  a  means  of  commercial  intercourse  among  the 
several  States  or  with  foreign  nations ;  or 

(b)  The  apparatus  transmits  radiograms  or  signals  the  effect  of 
which  at  any  time  extends  beyond  the  State ;  or 

(c)  The  apparatus  interferes  with  the  receipt  of  messages  in  any 
State  from  beyond  such  State. 

For  the  purposes  of  the  administration  of  the  act,  stations  on  land 
are  divided  into  two  general  descriptions,  according  to  geographical 
location: 

I.  Coast  or  Shore  Stations  are  stations  which  transmit  messages 
to  vessels  at  sea  or  on  the  Great  Lakes  or  whose  operations  can  affect 
the  transmission  of  messages  between  ship  and  ship,  or  ship  and  coast. 
The  principal  purpose  of  the  regulation  of  radio  communication, 
international  and  national,  is  to  secure  the  greatest  efficiency  of  mari- 
time communication  through  this  agency,  especially  as  a  means  of 
promoting  safety  to  life. 

II.  Inland  Stations  are  stations  which  can  not  transmit  messages 
to  vessels  at  sea  or  on  the  Great  Lakes  and  whose  operations  can  not 
affect  the  transmission  of  messages  between  ship  and  ship,  or  ship 
and  coast.  This  may  be  due  to  their  geographical  location  or  to 
their  range,  dependent  on  power  and  aerial,  or  conditions.  In  some 
instances  actual  inspection  may  be  necessary  to  determine  whether  a 
station  should  be  licensed  as  a  coast  station  or  an  inland  station. 

An  operator  or  owner  in  doubt  as  to  the  classification  of  his  station 
should  communicate  the  facts  to  the  radio  inspector  of  his  district 
when  applying  for  a  license. 

As  the  means  for  enforcing  the  radio  laws  are  limited,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  give  ship  and  commercial  stations  precedence  over  aniateur 
stations.  The  owner  of  an  amateur  station  may  operate  his  station  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  if  his  application  for  a  license  has  been 
properly  filed  but  has  not  been  acted  upon.  An  application  for  an 
operator's  license  must  also  have  been  filed  and  every  effort  made  to 
obtain  the  license  before  the  station  may  be  operated. 

CLASSES   OF   LAND    STATIONS. 

Both  coast  stations  (the  words  "  coast  stations,"  "  shore  stations," 
and  "coastal  stations"  are  used  interchangeably)  and  inland  stations 
are  divided  for  the  purposes  of  the  administration  of  the  act  into  the 
following  classes: 

1.  Public-service  stations,  (a)  general,  (h)  limited. 

2.  Limited  commercial  stations. 

3.  Experiment  stations  for  the  development  of  radio  communi- 
cation. 

4.  Technical  and  training  school  stations. 

5.  General  amateur  stations. 

6.  Special  amateur  stations. 

7.  Restricted  amateur  stations. 


REGULATIONS  GOVERNING  RADIO   COMMUNICATION.  7 

DESCRIPTION    or   CLASSES. 

1.  (a)  Public-service  stations,  general,  are  those  open  to  general 
business  between  coast  and  ships  or  between  land  stations,  and  include 
those  operated  by  common  carriers  under  the  act  of  Februaiy  4,  1887, 
to  regulate  commerce,  amended  June  18,  1910.  They  are  required  to 
maintain  a  constant  receiving  service  when  open.  Every  coastal  sta- 
tion open  to  public  service  shall  at  all  times  be  ready  to  receive  mes- 
sages of  such  wave  lengths  as  are  required  by  the  international  con- 
vention in  force.     (Sec.  4,  first  regulation,  act  of  Aug.  13,  1912.) 

Wlienever  such  stations  do  n6t  insure  a  constant  service,  transmit- 
ting and  receiving  day  and  night  without  interruptioUj  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  is  directed  to  open  naval  radio  stations  within  100  miles 
thereof  to  public  business.  ( Sec.  4,  eighteenth  regulation,  act  of  Aug. 
13,  1912.)  The  Secretary  of  War  is  authorized  by  the  act  of  May  26, 
1900   (31   Stat.,  206)^  to  open  Alaskan  military  stations  to  public 

service.  •    •    j 

1.  (&)  Public-service  stations,  limited,  are  reserved  for  a  limited 
public  service,  determined  by  the  object  of  the  correspondence  or 
other  circumstances  independent  of  the  system  employed.  Stations 
of  this  class  transmit  and  receive  public  messages  to  and  from  certain 
stations  only,  which  are  designated  in  the  license. 

2.  Limited  commeroial  stations  are  not  open  to  public  service  and 
are  licensed  for  a  specific  commercial  service  or  services  defined  in 
the  license.  Stations  of  this  class  must  not  transmit  to  or  accept 
public  messages  from  other  stations. 

3.  Experiment  stations.— T\iQ  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor 
is  authorized  bv  section  4  of  the  act  to  grant  special  temporary 
licenses  "  to  stations  actually  engaged  in  conducting  experiments  for 
the  development  of  the  science  of  radio  communication,  or  the  appa- 
ratus pertaining  thereto,  to  carry  on  special  tests,  using  any  amount 
of  power  or  any  wave  lengths,  at  such  hours  and  under  such  condi- 
tions as  will  insure  the  least  interference  with  the  sending  or  receipt 
of  commercial  or  Government  radiograms,  of  distress  signals  and 
radiograms,  or  with  the  work  of  other  stations."  Applicants  for 
such  licenses  should  state  any  technical  result  they  have  already  pro- 
duced, their  technical  attainments,  etc.  The  fact  that  an  applicant 
desires  to  experiment  with  his  equipment  does  not  justify  or  require 
a  license  of  this  class.  Most  experiments  can  be  made  within  the 
limitations  of  general  and  restricted  amateur  station  licenses  or  by 
use  of  an  artificial  antenna  to  prevent  radiation. 

4.  Technical  and  training  school  stations  will  be  licensed  in  a  sepa- 
rate class,  according  to  the  degree  of  technical  training  attained  and 
imparted  and  to  local  conditions. 

5.  General  avuiteur  stations  are  restricted  to  a  transmitting  wave 
leno-th  not  exceeding  200  meters  and  a  transformer  input  not  exceed- 
ing'l  kilowatt.     (Sec.  4,  fifteenth  regulation,  act  of  Aug.  13,  1912.) 

6.  Special  amateur  stations  may  be  licensed  by  the  Secretary  of 
Commerce  and  Labor  to  use  a  longer  wave  length  and  a  higher  power 
on  special  application  to  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor. 
Applications  for  this  class  from  amateurs  with  less  than  two  years' 
experience  in  actual  radio  communication  will  not  be  approved.  The 
application  must  state  the  experience  and  purpose  of  the  applicant, 
the  local  conditions  of  radio  communication,  especially  of  maritime 


8  REGULATIONS   GOVERNING   RADIO   COMMUNICATION. 

radio  communication  in  the  vicinity  of  the  station,  and  a  special 
license  will  be  granted  only  if  some  substantial  beneJSt  to  the  art  or 
to  commerce  apart  from  individual  amusement  seems  probabla 
(Sec.  4,  fifteenth  reflation,  act  of  Aug.  13,  1912.) 

7.  Restricted  amateur  stations^  within  5  nautical  miles  of  a  naval 
or  military  station,  are  restricted  to  a  wave  length  not  exceeding  200 
meters  and  to  a  transformer  input  not  exceeding  one-half  kilowatt. 
(Sec.  4,  sixteenth  reg-ulation,  act  of  Aug.  13,  1912.) 

Special  statiotis  for  exceptional  distances  are  land  stations  desigTied 
(coast)  to  carry  on  transoceanic  radio  communication  as  between 
the  United  States  and  European  countries,  or  between  the  Pacific 
coast  and  Hawaii,  or  from  the  United  States  over  similar  long  dis- 
tances at  sea  to  another  land  station,  or  (inland)  to  carry  on  radio 
communication  overland  over  exceptional  distances.  These  stations 
will  all  come  under  one  of  the  classifications  named  above  and  the 
license  will  indicate  the  stations  for  which  communication  is  author- 
ized and  indicate  the  range. 

General  public  service,  limited  public  service,  limited  commercial, 
special  amateur,  and  special  stations  which  come  under  the  classifica- 
tion of  coast  stations  are  subject  to  the  same  requirements  as  to  the 
provision  for  receiving  and  relaying  distress  calls. 

Stations  operated  at  different  portions  of  the  day  for  different 
purposes  will  require  licenses  covering  each  purpose,  that  is,  a  station 
used  during  the  day  for  limited  commercial  purposes  and  during  the 
night  for  general  public  service  will  require  two  licenses. 

Part  2.  LICENSES— OPERATORS. 

The  third  section  of  the  act  prescribes  that  every  radio  apparatus 
required  to  be  licensed  shall  at  all  times  while  in  use  and  operation 
be  in  charge  or  under  the  supervision  of  a  person  or  persons  licensed 
for  that  purpose  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor. 

Licenses  approved  and  issued  by  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and 
Labor  to  operators  will  be  delivered  to  successful  applicants  after 
passing  examinations  given  by  the  officers  named  under  the  head 
"  Examination  of  operators  for  licenses." 

[Note. — Apprentices. — Under  the  supervision  of  a  licensed  operator  an  ap- 
prentice or  unlicensed  i>erson  may  leai-n  tlie  art  by  the  actual  use  of  the 
apparatus,  but  the  licensed  operator  who  fails  to  enforce  obedience  to  the  regn- 
lations  by  the  apprentice  or  unlicensed  person  serving  under  his  supervision 
is  liable  to  penalties  as  if  he  had  himself  violated  the  regulations.] 

Operators'  licenses  are  divided  into  the  following  grades : 

I.  Commercial : 

1.  First  grade. 

2.  Second  grade. 

3.  Cargo  grade. 

4.  Extra  grade. 

5.  Temporary  permit. 
II.  Amateur : 

6.  First  grade. 

7.  Second  grade. 
III.  Technical : 

8.  Experiment  and  instruction  grade. 

The  requirements  which  applicants  must  meet  to  secure  licenses  of 
the  several  grades  and  the  scope  and  limitations  of  employment  au- 
thorized by  the  licenses  of  the  several  grades  are  as  follows: 


REGULATIONS   GOVERNING   RADIO   COMMUNICATION.  9 

I,  Commercial. 

First  grade. — The  applicant  must  pass  a  satisfactory  examination 
in — 

(«)  The  adjustment,  operation,  and  care  of  the  apparatus,  inchid- 
ing  correction  of  faults  and  change  from  one  wave  length  to  another. 

(&)  Transmitting  and  receiving  by  ear  at  a  speed  of  not  less  than 
20  words  a  minute  in  Continental  Morse  (five  letters  to  the  word). 

(c)  Use  and  care  of  storage  battery  or  other  auxiliary  power 
apparatus. 

\d)  Knowledge  of  the  international  regulations  in  force  applying 
to  radio  communication. 

(e)  Knowledge  of  the  requirements  of  the  acts  of  Congress  to 
regulate  radio  communication — at  present  sections  3,  4,  5,  6,  and  7 
of  the  act  of  August  13,  1912.  No  stated  experience  is  required,  but 
the  examination  given  is  such  that  a  person  must  be  familiar  with  all 
parts  and  principles  embodied  in  a  radio  set  and  auxiliary  battery 
and  power  apparatus  used,  to  obtain  a  license. 

(1)  The  commercial  first-grade  license  qualifies  the  operator  for 
employment  at  any  ship  or  land  station  of  any  class  and  is  the  highest 
certificate  indicative  of  ability  as  radio  operator  issued  at  this  time. 

(2)  Every  ship  station  of  class  A  must  carry  two  or  more  oper- 
ators, at  least  one  of  whom  must  have  a  valid  commercial  first-grade 
license,  or,  in  the  case  of  a  foreign  ship,  have  an  equivalent  foreign 
license. 

[Note. — The  requirements  for  this  grade  are  the  same  as  the  International 
requirements  imposed  on  operators  of  foreign  ships  by  international  regulation, 
except  the  knowledge  of  the  use  and  care  of  storage  battery  or  other  auxiliary 
and  of  the  act  of  August  13,  1912.  Inspectors  will  allow  a  reasonable  time  to 
foreign  operators  on  foreign  ships  to  meet  the  additional  requirements  supply- 
ing them  as  promptly  as  practicable  with  copies  of  the  act  of  August  13,  1912.] 

(3)  Every  ship  station  of  class  A  on  a  steamer  carrying  100  or 
more  passengers  must  caiTy  at  least  two  operators  having  commer- 
cial first-grade  licenses  or  equivalent  foreign  licenses. 

(4)  Every  land  station  open  to  general  public  service  must  have 
at  least  one  commercial  first-grade  operator. 

(5)  Every  coast  station  of  class  1  must  have  commercial  first-grade 
oi^erators. 

Second  grade. — The  applicant  must  pass  a  satisfactory  examina- 
tion in  all  the  subjects  prescribed  above  for  the  first  grade,  with  the 
exception  that  the  minimum  speed  in  transmitting  and  receiving  shall 
not  be  less  than  12  words  a  minute  in  Continental  Morse,  and  the  ex- 
amination in  the  subjects  will  not  be  as  comprehensive  as  that  given 
first-grade  operators. 

(1)  An  operator  licensed  as  commercial  second  grade,  on  subse- 
quent compliance  with  the  speed  test  for  the  first  grade,  and  further 
examination  on  the  subjects  named,  may  have  his  license  raised  to 
the  first  grade  by  the  indorsement  in  red  ink  on  the  face  of  his 
license  "  Examined  on  [date]  at  [place]  and  passed  first  grade  by 
[examining  officer's  signature],"  or  a  first-grade  license  may  be  issued. 

(2)  Every  ship  station  under  class  A  (except  steamers  carrying 
300  or  more  passengers)  must  carry  a  second  operator,  having  the 
commercial  second-griide  license,  or  higher,  or  an  equivalent  foreign 
license. 


10  REGULATIONS   GOVERNING  RADIO   COMMUNICATION. 

(3)  Every  ship  station  under  classes  B  and  C  must  carry  at  least 
one  operator  licensed  as  commercial  second  grade,  or  higher,  or  an 
equivalent  foreign  license  where  such  are  issued.  Class  B  covers 
cargo  steamers  and  does  not  apply  to  the  Great  Lakes  before  April  1, 
1913,  or  to  the  seaboard  before  July  1,  1913. 

(4)  Every  coast  station  of  classes  2  and  6  must  have  at  least  one 
operator  holding  a  valid  commercial  second-grade  license. 

Cargo  grade. — Section  2  of  the  act  of  July  23,  1912,  provides : 

On  cargo  steamers,  in  lieu  of  the  second  operator  provided  for  in  this  act, 
there  may  be  substituted  a  member  of  the  crew  or  other  person  who  shall  be 
duly  certified  and  entered  in  the  ship's  log  as  competent  to  receive  and  under- 
stand distress  calls  or  other  usual  calls  indicating  danger,  and  to  aid  in  main- 
taining a  constant  wireless  watch  so  far  as  required  for  the  safety  of  life. 

Examining  officers  and  radio  inspectors  are  authorized  to  issue  a 
certificate,  in  the  form  of  an  amateur  first-grade  license,  after  exami- 
nation, to  indicate  the  facts  above  enumerated  in  the  case  of  a  member 
of  the  crew  or  other  person,  and  experience  under  this  form  will  be 
credited  by  examining  officers  if  the  holder  later  applies  for  examina- 
tion for  a  commercial  license. 

Extra  grade. — The  department  desires  to  establish,  if  practicable, 
a  corps  of  specially  tramed  and  trustworthy  radio  operators  who 
may  be  available  for  Government  service.  For  this  purpose  a  spe- 
cial license  will  be  issued  to  operators  holding  the  commercial  first- 
grade  license,  whose  certificates  of  skill  in  radio  communication, 
issued  under  the  act  of  June  24,  1910,  and  licenses  under  this  act 
record  12  months'  satisfactory  ocean  service  as  shown  by  masters' 
indorsement.  A  special  examination  in  the  radio  regulations  of  the 
United  States  Navy  will  also  be  required.  The  commercial  extra- 
grade  license  will  be  issued  during  1913,  and  will  be  the  subject  of  a 
special  circular. 

Temporary  permit. — Section  3  of  the  act  of  August  13,  1912,  pro- 
vides : 

In  case  of  emergency  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  and  Labor  may  authorize 
a  collector  of  customs  to  issue  a  temporary  permit,  ua  lieu  of  a  license,  to  the 
operator  on  a  vessel  subject  to  the  radio  ship  act  of  June  24,  1910. 

The  temporary  permit  is  to  be  issued  only  in  cases  of  emergency 
and  will  be  valid  for  only  one  voyage.  If  practicable,  the  radio  in- 
spector should  ascertain  the  applicant's  qualifications  before  the  col- 
lector issues  a  temporary  permit.  The  collector  will  report  in  each 
case  to  the  Commissioner  of  Navigation  the  circumstances  which 
rendered  necessary  the  issue  of  a  temporary  permit. 

CERTIFICATES    OF    SKILL    IN    RADIO    COMMUNICATION. 

Certificates  issued  under  the  act  of  June  24,  1910,  will  not  be 
valid  substitutes  for  the  licenses  required  by  the  act  of  August  13, 
1912,  on  and  after  December  13,  1912.  The  holders  of  these  cer- 
tificates should  present  themselves  to  the  examining  officers  and  radio 
inspectors  for  examination  and  license  under  the  new  act.  Examin- 
ing officers  are  requested  to  give  precedence,  as  far  as  practicable,  to 
the  holders  of  these  certificates  and  to  exercise  their  discretion  in  giv- 
ing credence  to  the  former  examination  on  which  the  certificate  was 
issued,  and  especially  to  give  due  credit  to  satisfactory  service  records 
indorsed  thereon.    Operators  should  retain  these  certificates,  as  they 


KEGULATIONS   GOVERNING  RADIO   COMMUNICATION.  11 

will  prove  useful  in  applications  for  licenses  of  the  various  classes 
and  grades  under  the  radio-communication  act  and  in  establishing 
claims  to  the  benefits  accruing  to  those  in  the  service  of  the  merchant 
marine  of  the  United  States. 

II.  Amateur. 

General, — Amateurs,  before  applying  for  licenses,  should  read  and 
understand  the  essential  parts  of  the  International  Radiotelegraphic 
Convention  in  force  and  sections  3,  4,  5,  and  7  of  the  act  of  August 
13,  1912.  The  department  recognizes  that  radio  communication 
offers  a  wholesome  form  of  instructive  recreation  for  amateurs.  At 
the  same  time  its  use  for  this  purpose  must  observe  strictly  the  rights 
of  others  to  the  uninterrupted  use  of  apparatus  for  important  pub- 
lic and  commercial  purposes.  The  department  will  not  knowingly 
issue  a  license  to  an  amateur  who  does  not  recognize  and  will  not 
obey  this  principle.  To  this  end  the  intelligent  reading  of  the  in- 
ternational convention  and  the  act  of  Congress  is  prescribed  as  the 
first  step  to  be  taken  by  amateurs.  Copies  of  the  two  publications 
may  be  secured  for  this  purpose  from  the  department's  radio  in- 
spectors or  from  the  Commissioner  of  Navigation,  but  they  are  not 
for  public  distribution. 

First  grade. — The  applicant  must  have  a  sufficient  loiowledge  of 
the  adjustment  and  operation  of  the  apparatus  which  he  wishes 
to  operate,  and  of  the  regulations  of  the  international  convention 
and  acts  of  Congress  in  so  far  as  they  relate  to  interference  with 
other  radio  communication  and  impose  certain  duties  on  all  grades 
of  operators.  The  applicant  must  be  able  to  transmit  and  receive 
in  Continental  Morse,  at  a  speed  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  recognize 
distress  calls  or  the  official  ''  keep-out "  signals.  A  speed  of  at  least 
five  words  per  minute  (five  letters  to  the  word)  must  be  attained. 
Applicants  for  licenses  of  this  grade  residing  at  or  near  any  place 
where  examinations  are  held  will  communicate  with  examining  offi- 
cers and  will  be  examined  for  licenses  of  amateur  grades.  At  places 
remote  from  examining  officers,  applicants  will  file  applications  with 
the  radio  inspector,  who  will  endeavor  to  arrange  for  examinations 
on  his  inspection  trips. 

Second  grade. — The  requirements  for  the  second  grade  will  be  the 
same  as  for  the  first  grade.  The  second-grade  license  will  be  issued 
only  where  an  applicant  can  not  be  examined  or  until  he  can  be  ex- 
amined. An  examining  officer  or  radio  inspector  is  authorized  in 
his  discretion  to  waive  an  actual  examination  of  an  applicant  for  an 
amateur  license,  if  the  amateur  for  adequate  reasons  can  not  present 
himself  for  examination  but  in  writing  can  satisfy  the  examining 
officer  or  radio  inspector  that  he  is  qualified  to  hold  a  license  and 
will  conform  to  its  obligations. 

III.  Technical. 

Experiment  and  instruction  grade. — The  operator's  license  for  this 
grade  is  a  commercial  license,  indorsed  by  the  Secretary  of  Com- 
merce and  Labor  with  a  statement  of  the  special  purposes  for  which 
it  is  valid.     It  should  be  forwarded  to  the  Commissioner  of  Navi- 


12  REGULATIONS   GOVERNING   RADIO   COMMUNICATION. 

gation  with  a  recommendation,  if  practicable,  from  a  radio  inspector 
or  examining  officer. 

Experimenters  and  instructors,  of  scientific  attainments  in  the  art 
of  radio  communication,  whose  knowledge  of  the  radio  laws  satis- 
fies the  radio  inspector  or  the  examining  officer,  may  obtain  this  grade 
licenses,  provided  they  are  able  to  transmit  and  receive  in  the  Conti- 
nental Morse  Code  at  a  speed  sufficient  to  enable  them  to  recognize 
distress  calls  or  the  "  keep-out "  signals. 

This  license  has  no  reference  to  the  instruction  of  radio  operators 
as  such,  but  is  required  by  those  operating  apparatus  licensed  as 
experimental  stations  but  who  are  unable  to  obtain  commercial-grade 
operators'  licenses. 

Part  3.  APPLICATIONS  FOR  LICENSES. 

Station  licenses  for  the  use  and  operation  of  apparatus  for  radio 
communication  under  the  act  may  be  issued  only  to  citizens  of  the 
United  States  or  Porto  Rico  or  to  a  company  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  some  State  or  Territory  or  of  the  United  States  or  Porto  Eico. 

Licenses  can  be  issued  to  clubs  if  they  are  incorporated  or  if  a 
member  will  accept  the  responsibility  for  the  operation  of  the  ap- 
paratus, carrying  with  it  the  possibility  of  being  penalized  for  in- 
fraction of  the  laws. 

I.  Ship  Stations. 

Applications  for  licenses  for  ship  stations  should  be  addressed  to 
the  radio  inspector  for  the  district  including  the  port  whence  the 
vessel  usually  departs.  All  the  inspectors  are  now  on  duty  at  the 
headquarters'  of  the  administrative  districts,  as  shown  on  pages  3 
and  4. 

The  application  by  the  company  operating  the  apparatus  should 
state  the  name  of  the  ship  in  respect  of  which  the  license  is  required. 
The  radio  inspector  will  then  issue  the  department's  blank  form  of 
application  for  license  to  be  filled  in  by  the  applicant  and  returned 
to  the  radio  inspector  with  a  statement  when  the  ship  will  be  in  port 
and  its  radio  apparatus  may  be  thoroughly  inspected. 

II.  Land  Stations. 

Coast  stations.— The  several  classes  of  coast  stations  will  be 
licensed,  for  reasons  already  assigned,  in  advance  of  inland  stations. 

Applications  for  licenses  for  coast  stations  should  be  addressed 
to  the  department's  radio  inspector  for  the  district  in  which  the  sta- 
tion is  located,  who  will  forward  the  application  Form  757. 

All  land  stations,  except  general  and  restricted  amateur  stations, 
should  state  their  location  in  latitude  and  longitude  to  seconds.  _ 

The  application  will  state  the  class  of  the  station  for  which  a  license 
is  desired,  with  particulars  to  show  its  proper  classification,  approx- 
imate transmitting  range  with  a  similar  station,  and  precise  location 
(State,  county,  city,  or  town,  street  and  number,  or,  if  outside  of  city 
or  town  limits,  as  exact  a  description  of  its  locality  as  may  be) .  A 
blank  form  for  apparatus  will  be  sent  when  Form  757  has  been  filed, 
and  arrangements  made  for  inspection  if  necessary.  Requests  for 
licenses  for  coast  stations  will  be  taken  up  in  the  order  of  classes,  as 
indicated  above,  and  in  the  order  of  date  received  only  so  far  as  the 


REGULATIONS   GOVERNING   RADIO   COMMUNICATION.  13 

relative  importance  of  stations  will  permit.  Amateur  applicants  who 
state  that  they  have  read  the  International  Kadiotelegraphic  Conven- 
tion in  force  and  the  act  of  August  13,  1912,  will  receive  attention 
before  those  who  have  not. 

Inland  stations. — The  issue  of  licenses  to  inland  stations,  as  already 
defined,  will  be  taken  up  after  ship  and  coast  stations.  The  procedure 
for  application  for  license  will  be  the  same  as  for  coast  stations. 

III.  Forms. 

{a)  The  several  forms  of  applications  and  licenses  for  operators 
will  be  issued  through  examining  officers  (through  the  War  and  Navy 
Departments)  and  radio  inspectors.  The  licenses  will  be  numbered 
serially. 

(6)  The  forms  and  licenses  for  stations  and  apparatus  will  be 
issued  through  radio  inspectors.  Licenses  for  general  and  restricted 
amateur  stations  are  issued  by  them  direct  to  applicant.  Station 
licenses  of  all  other  classes  are  issued  from  the  office  of  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Navigation,  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor. 

IV.  Commercial  Operators. 

Applications  for  operators'  licenses  of  the  several  commercial 
grades  should  be  addressed  to  the  nearest  examining  officer  or  radio 
inspector,  who  will  arrange  for  examinations.  Where  the  applicant 
is  not  within  reasonable  distance  of  an  examining  officer  or  radio 
inspector  he  may  forward  his  application  with  a  statement  of  the 
facts. 

Commercial  licenses  can  only  be  obtained  by  examination.  Where 
applicants  are  at  remote  points  or  can  not  proceed  to  examining 
offices  efforts  will  be  made  to  examine  them  through  radio  inspectors 
when  they  are  in  that  vicinity,  but  special  trips  can  not  be  made  for 
that  purpose. 

V.  Amateur  Operators. 

(ft)  Amateurs  in  the  seaboard  States  should  write  to  the  nearest 
examining  officer  in  their  vicinity  for  Form  756  (application  for 
operator's  license)  and  to  the  radio  inspector  in  their  vicinity  for 
Form  757  (application  for  license  for  land  station).  If  the  applica- 
tion for  operator's  license  is  also  made  to  the  radio  inspector,  both 
applications  should  be  forwarded  in  the  same  envelope. 

(&)  Amateur  operators  at  points  remote  from  examining  officers 
and  radio  inspectors  will  be  issued  second-grade  amateur  licenses 
without  examination,  as  explained  previously.  Examinations  for 
first-grade  licenses  will  be  given  by  the  radio  inspector  when  he  is  in 
that  vicinity,  but  special  trips  can  not  be  made  for  this  purpose. 

Part  4.  GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS. 

1.  All  persons  communicating  with  the  department  or  any  of  its 
officers  on  the  sul^iect  of  radio  communication  should  keep  copies  of 
their  letters,  as  the  replies  will  refer  to  them. 

2.  Women  are  eligible  as  applicants  for  licenses  of  any  class  or 
grade  upon  the  same  conditions  as  men. 


14  REGULATIONS    GOVERNING   RADIO    COMMUNICATION. 

3.  The  service  regulations  of  the  radiotelegraphic  convention  in 
force  provides  that  "  no  station  on  shipboard  shall  be  established  or 
worked  by  private  enterprise  without  authority  from  the  Govern- 
ment to  which  the  vessel  is  subject."  Such  authority  shall  be  in  the 
nature  of  a  license  issued  by  said  Government.  Stations  on  foreign 
ships  will  be  licensed  by  their  Governments,  respectively.  Inspectors 
will  report  to  the  Commissioner  of  Navigation  stations  on  foreign 
ships  not  so  licensed. 

4.  The  lists  of  call  signals  when  issued  by  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce and  Labor  may  be  obtained  from  the  radio  inspectors  or  the 
Commissioner  of  Navigation  and  will  show  the  location  of  naval  and 
military  stations. 

5.  Operator's  licenses  should  be  framed  and  posted  in  the  radio 
room,  and  licenses  for  stations  should  be  accessible  at  all  times  to 
inspectors. 

6.  Operator's  licenses  should  indicate  on  their  face  that  the  oath 
has  been  executed.  This  statement  should  be  signed  by  a  notary 
public. 

7.  Stations  equipped  to  receive  only  do  not  require  a  license. 

8.  No  fees  are  charged  for  any  operator  or  station  license. 

9.  Licensed  stations  require  licensed  operators. 

10.  Amateur  stations  within  5  miles  of  naval  or  military  stations 
need  not  have  been  in  actual  operation  on  or  before  August  13,  1912, 
to  obtain  a  license  for  a  restricted  amateur  station. 

11.  These  instructions  may  be  amended  and  supplemented  from 
time  to  time. 

Benj.  S.  Cable, 
Acting  Eecretainj, 

o 


,r7eLEV  LlBRAWtS 


